23:26: The Hawks officially issued a press release about Bogdanovic’s hiring.
“Bogdan feels great in the game and we expect him to fit in well with his excellent level of offensive skills, experience and toughness.” basketball operations team president Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “It’s no secret that one of the biggest areas for free agencies has been recording and increasing quality depth. Because Bogdan as part of our incoming group, we feel that these are now areas of strengths. “
20:03: The Kings decided not to meet Atlanta’s four-year, $ 72 million bid sheet for limited free agent swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, clearing the way to join Falcons, reports ESPN Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Bogdanovic arguably enjoyed the best season of his three-year NBA career in 2019/20, with an average of 15.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 3.4 APG in 61 races shot in .440 / .372 / .741 ( 29.0 MPG). He got to the start in January, displacing him Buddy Hield, and as a starter, led to a 16-12 record at Kings over 28 games.
While Kings ’list moves at last season’s trading deadline – which included dumping of the 2020/21 salary – signaled their readiness to keep Bogdanovic with limited free agencies, the team underwent a front office renovation after the season. Monte McNair replaced Vlade Divac as CEO of Sacramento.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the new presidency, led by McNair, ‘worked’ to comply with Bogdanovic Hawks ’four-year offer, which includes a fourth-year option and a 15% commercial spring. Finally, according to Woj, the kings preferred to retain the flexibility of the schedule and believed that bringing Bogdanovic back would prevent them from continuing to build around the cornerstones. De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagleyand Hield.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter) that the Tyrese Haliburton The selection of last week’s draft also played a role in Sacramento’s decision, as Option 12 gives the franchise another long-term building block on the back track.
The kings also had to consider Hield / Bogdanovic dynamics. Hield, who is just starting a lucrative four-year extension, didn’t seem excited to have moved to the bench last season, and Bogdanovic was thought to be looking for a change of scenery as he had reportedly felt “a priority” in recent months. It is possible that bringing back both players was not great for team chemistry.
Still, it’s a little surprising that Kings let a talented young player walk for free. They hoped to be able to save some value in the trade, as an agreement was originally reached with Bucks last week Justin James To Milwaukee for that Donte DiVincenzo, DJ Wilson, and Ersan Ilyasova. A few days after the first announcement, however, the deal disintegrated among rumors that Bogdanovic himself had not agreed to sign with Milwaukee.
As the news of the deal disappeared several days before the free agency opened, there was speculation that the NBA might have intervened because of the alleged manipulation and / or circumvention. This was not confirmed at all, although the league has launched an investigation into the situation. In any case, the kings joined other signal and trade opportunities when the free agency opened on Friday, but the Hawks had to have the onboard room to sign Bogdanovic without the need for Sacramento’s cooperation.
The Kings ’loss will be the Hawks’ gain as an eventful week continues in Atlanta with the addition of the 28-year-old Serb. Last month, we heard that the Hawks – who entered the season with the most caps in the NBA – intended themselves to be aggressive this fall as they really want to return to the playoffs next season. They have fulfilled that promise.
After setting up the USC headquarters Onyeka Okongwu with 6th place in last Wednesday’s draft, the Hawks made free agency agreements with them Danilo Gallinari, Kris Dunn, Rajon Rondo, and Solomon’s Hill. Bogdanovic is now being added to that group.
[RELATED: 2020 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
New additions to Atlanta will join a core that he heads Trae Young and John Collinstogether with promising young people Cam is reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and Kevin Huerter. Clint Capela also joins the mix – the former Rockets center was acquired at the expiration of last season, but has not yet appeared on the Hawks team due to a leg injury.
Since Bogdanovic has officially resigned from the board, there are only four limited free agents who have yet to secure new deals, and all four are two-way players. Even on the list of the top 50 free agents, there are only three players who don’t have to make a deal yet – and one of those three, Anthony Davis, a lock to return to his current team. The other two are Hassan Whiteside (No. 17), who allegedly received interest from the kings, and Reggie Jackson (No. 50).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
